Navigating through Mistakes!

In the world of academia, accomplished researchers often appear as paragons of success, their profiles adorned with accolades and achievements. However, behind the facade of triumph, a less celebrated narrative exists—a story of relentless struggle and failure that is seldom shared. As a fellow young researcher, I’ve keenly experienced the weight of this unspoken reality, often feeling isolated in my struggles. The purpose of this blog is to remind myself of my failures and also to make upcoming young researchers aware about the struggle. And Yes!! The struggle is real (atleast for me).

My voyage into research began in January of this year, and it has been far from smooth sailing. I can’t help but acknowledge the various challenges and moments of self-doubt that have become my constant companions. The initial problem statement I was excited to work on has taken an unexpected detour, and the experiments I thought would yield groundbreaking results have left me feeling somewhat underwhelmed. Upon introspection, I’ve identified a few key missteps that might have contributed to my current sense of failure. Here’s a candid exploration of my missteps that I want to share to other researchers also:

• Lack of Extensive Literature Review: I’ll admit I was eager to dive into the practical aspects of my research, neglecting the wealth of knowledge that already exists in my chosen field. I came to realize that research isn’t just about creating something new; it’s about building upon what others have already discovered.

• Not Clarifying the Significance of the Problem: It’s not enough to have an interesting problem fefining the significance of the problem statement is crucial. It’s about asking the “so what?” question.

• Lack of Self-Evaluation: I have come to realise that healty quantity of self-evaluation is really important, especially when you’re venturing into uncharted territory. It’s a chance to refine my concepts, gather feedback, and iteratively improve my approach.

• Not Sharing my Ideas: I also regret not actively reaching out to my colleagues and friends for their perspectives and insights. Sharing your research challenges with others can lead to fresh ideas and alternative viewpoints.

My current struggle and sense of uncertainty have led me to question my decision to leave a stable job for the tumultuous world of research. Is this what research is all about? A constant battle to identify meaningful problems and generate innovative solutions? There are days when I wake up without a clear sense of direction, and I wonder if I made the right choice. But then, there are moments of clarity and inspiration when I realize why I embarked on this journey in the first place. I think my “why” is purely a selfish self-exploratory reason to test by own abilites and enjoy.

As I navigate these uncharted waters, I’ve started to explore not only my “why” but also the “whys” of others. There is a list of articles which I read now and then when I feel lost wandering:

• Terry Tao’s Blog on Career Advice: A great collection of pretty intersting ideas on the journey from school level to post-doc level.
• Aditya Ramdas’s Checklists
• Advice for the Young Scientist by John Baez
• For Graduate Student by Fan Chung
• Ten Lessons I Wish I Had Been Taught by Gian-Carlo Rota
• A Stroke of Genius: Striving for Greatness in All You Do by R. W. Hamming
• The illustrated guide to a Ph.D.
• Advice For Graduate Students in Statistics
• For potential Ph.D. students
• Living Proof by AMS: One of my very favourite.